Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers Lost Just One Game During Playoff Runs
Published on May 17th, 2024 5:31 pm ESTWritten By: Dave Manuel
Since the start of the NBA, no team has ever gone undefeated during a post-season run. Three teams, however, have lost just ONE game - the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors, the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers and the 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers.
Of those three teams, just one - the Golden State Warriors - went 16-1. The Lakers went 15-1 (the first series was best-of-3 back then) and the 76ers went 12-1.
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The 2016-17 Golden State Warriors went 67-15 in the regular season and then REALLY started to cook.
The Warriors swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs, winning by 25 points, 6 points, 19 points and 12 points respectively.
In the second round, the Warriors dispatched of the Utah Jazz with ease, as their closest victory was by 11 points.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors played a close first game of the series against the Spurs, winning by 2 points.
After that, the series was a bloodbath, with the Warriors winning by 36, 12 and 14 points.
The finals saw the Warriors square off against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers were about to win a game, though the Warriors would win the Finals in 5 games.
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The 2000-01 NBA playoffs witnessed the peak of the Lakers dynasty, as both Kobe Bryant and Shaq were in peak form.
The Lakers swept the Trail Blazers, the Kings and the Spurs before finding themselves in the Finals against Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Iverson and company were able to win one game before succumbing to the Lakers in the Finals.
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In the 1982-83 NBA playoffs, the top two teams in the league received a first round bye.
The Philadelphia 76ers swept the Knicks in the first round, and followed this up by beating the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 in the second round.
The much-hyped Finals were a letdown, as the 76ers swept the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0, despite the Lakers having a line-up that included Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
